The process of agriculture involves more than just the farmer and farm workers. Anyone engaged in any aspect of farming is essential to the process. The shippers, processors, retailers and consumers all make the system work.
The term agribusiness can refer to any agriculturally-oriented business, from the person who designs and builds farm equipment to the person who stacks the food on the shelves. Truck drivers take the food from the farm to the processing plant. From there, the food is packed and delivered to the stores, and from there is it sold to the consumer. Yes, the farmers grow the crops but the seed they use may have been purchased from another agricultural entity, and the organic amendments they use may have come from yet another outlet. It’s all an integrated whole.
The return to organic farming, and the improvement in methods of organic farming, have all contributed to the growth of agribusiness. There is now even a term, “agritourism,” coined because farmers have opened their homes to visitors who stay and experience the life of a farmer, if only for a short while.
As the interest in organically grown foods continues to grow, organic farms must grow too to meet this need. Agribusinesses facilitate the production of commodities cost effectively, which increases the amount of organic food produced on organic acreage. There is a need for both large and small farms and the associated businesses that they connect with.
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